Month: December 2022

Categories
Hope News

Start with Hope

Start with hope. Phillip Kane’s andwin.net blog
Image credit: Kent Whitty | Unsplash.com

Friday, December 30, 2022

This week, a man whom I have great respect for, said something to me that I have heard him say before, but that, this time, maybe owing to the time of the year, I found myself thinking even more about.

He said to me, “We try. We hope.”

On this occasion, I told him that I am a great believer in hope and that hope is vastly underrated. I think that’s because the “Hope is not a strategy” crowd has done much in recent years to diminish the standing of hope in the world. But in the history of mankind, every notable accomplishment has likely been preceded by hope. See, achievement is not possible without hope.

And that’s the point for the week.



Hope begets belief. And belief begets doing. And doing begets winning. But hope comes first.

With hope, that which seems impossible enters the realm of human consideration. That’s because intrinsic in hope, I think, is the notion, or better yet, the assurance, that we are not alone. And that together, with help, almost anything can happen.

Bolstered by that belief, we try more often. And because we do, solely on the basis of math, we will win more. But it starts with hope.

So much did Pope, now Saint John Paul 2 believe in the power of hope that about it, he said, “I plead with you, never ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” What he seemed to know, beyond any doubt was that hope, in fact, will never disappoint. Because even in suffering, darkness, and uncertainty hope brings with it the promise of something new, a chance at redemption, an opportunity to get the thing we failed at right the next time around.

We try. We hope.

As we stand on the doorstep of a new year, I wish for all of you, and for all of mankind, great hope. Because in hope, there is nothing that remains unavailable to us.

So, start with hope.

And win.

To learn more about the author, click HERE.

To purchase a copy of Phillip’s new book, please follow this LINK.

Categories
Joy News

Release Joy

Release joy. Phillip Kane’s andwin.net blog.
Image credit: Telemundo

12/23/2022


This week, Argentina defeated France in the FIA World Cup in what was arguably one of the greatest sporting events of all time. Within the match were many breathtaking moments of skill, sportsmanship, and sheer determination ‐ not the least of which was Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty kick to seal the championship. But it was what came immediately after the Montiel kick that was, for me, the most enduring memory of the tournament.


Telemundo announcer, Andres Cantor, in calling the goal, burst forth, releasing an exclamation of nearly a full minute and a half, at times shouting, other times whispering, and at other times sobbing, that can only be described as pure, unadulterated joy ‐ one that I will never forget, and that moved me to tears, for only that I understood the joy that he felt. That’s because joy is unmistakable. Joy is also contagious. And the world needs more joy in it, because with Joy, human beings accomplish more together.


And that’s the point for the week.




During this season, it’s appropriate to speak of joy.


Regardless of what you believe, the notion that more joy brought to the world is better than less should be beyond argument.


But for so many joy has gone out of style. It’s become more fashionable to choose cynicism, hate, cancellation and division instead of joy.
But having one or the other is a simple choice: between one that makes the world a better place, and one that doesn’t.


See, joy makes it impossible for any negative human condition to persist. With joy, anger, hate, strife, despair, loss, or any other self‐indulgent emotional state or relationship between us and others cannot exist. Because with joy, there’s no room for these things. Joy has no time for negativity.


And because of that, with joy, almost anything becomes possible ‐ like that which many of us believe happened in a stable 2,000 years ago. Because joy opens the lens of possibilities. With joy, we focus on goodness, hope, and what can be. With joy, we want better for not only ourselves but those around us too.


Teams where joy is persistent are bound together tightly, like a cord of many strands. Not easily broken, these teams endure more, move with greater force, and rise to greater heights propelled by the sheer force of joy that makes anything otherwise absolutely unthinkable.


So, be like Andres. Release joy.


And win.

To learn more about the author, click HERE.

To purchase a copy of Phillip’s new book, please follow this LINK.

Categories
News

Believe in Your Own Self-Worth

Believe in your own self-worth. Phillip Kane's and win.net blog
Image credit: Jen Theodore | Unsplash.com

Friday, December 16, 2022

One day, this week, I had come down to the lobby of my hotel ready for work a bit earlier than usual. So, I decided to spend some time visiting with the valet, Salvador, who helps me most mornings. I like being around Salvador. See, I have never not seen him smiling. Talking to him always makes me happy.

On this day, I learned from him that he had recently left Uber. He shared with me that Uber had reduced the percentage of each fare that was paid to him. As a result, he made a decision to leave. He told me that his decision was less about economics than it was about feeling like he was being undervalued by the people at Uber. Salvador believed that he was worth more and left to find someone who believed it as much as he did. See what Salvador seems to understand intrinsically is this: whether you think you and your brand have great value or none at all, you’re exactly right.

And that’s the point for the week.



Only we, as individuals and as organizations, ultimately determine our worth. The world is full of people whose primary goal in life is to get something for less and just as many more who believe that they can increase their own worth by cheapening someone else’s. The plain truth of life though is this: those type of people never find what they are looking for. That’s because nothing of value will ever be found at the bottom of anything nor will blowing another candle out ever make one burn any brighter.

Worth is a matter of self-belief. Being worth more starts with believing we are. The converse is also true; the fastest way to cheapen ourselves or our brand is to start believing it is worth less than it actually is or to let others convince us of the same.

Being more, collecting more, and having more are solely and ultimately determined by each of us – first and foremost by what rattles around inside our heads. If we think that we deserve more, we will achieve more. If we think that we deserve less, we will achieve less. Life is, after all, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether you think you have great value, or none at all, you’re right.

When each one of us wants more for ourselves and for the organizations we belong to, we will have more. It is truly no more complicated than that. If more of us want what we’ve always had, we will have just that. If more of us want less, we can have that too. That is the choice that is before each one of us and our teams as a whole each and every day: to accept more, to accept the same as always, or to accept something less.

I want more for all of you.

I want all of you to refuse to accept any less than that. I want all of you to declare that never should you accept less than what you or the organizations you are a part of are worth then act like it each and every day, day in and day out, by giving more, expecting more, and refusing to accept anything less than more.

When you do, one day you will all have the more that you want. But it starts today, here and now, by refusing to let anyone but you define your worth and by reminding yourself every single day that whether you think you have great value or none at all, you’re right.

So, believe in your own self-worth.

And win.

To learn more about the author, click HERE.

To purchase Phillip’s new book, please click HERE.

Categories
Love

Accomplishing Anything Extraordinary Requires Love

Accomplishing anything extraordinary requires love. Phillip Kane's and win.net blog
Image credit: Clem Onejeguho | Unsplash.com

Friday, December 9, 2022

This week in my church, and likely in many of yours, we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Gospel reading, recounted the story of the visit to the Virgin Mary, by the Angel, Gabriel, who announced to her that she would conceive and bear a child who would be the son of God. It is not necessary for you to believe that this happened. It is enough for you to imagine that it did. For the point of all of this is not a religious thing. It is moreover about that which drives human beings to undertake the extraordinary.

Think for a moment about what was required in this case, or for any human being, or group of them, to agree to undertake the monumental. Certainly it takes faith. Trust matters as well. But to accomplish the truly extraordinary, as in this example from 2,000 years ago – requires love. 

And that’s the point for the week.



The greatest level of commerce that can exist among human beings is love. It’s not trust. Nor is it faith. While these things matter a great deal and are always a part of winning teams, accomplishing anything of extraordinary value requires a depth of feeling that can only be described one way – as love. It is love that enables the accomplishment of the seemingly impossible. 

Love is not strong like. 

Love is exactly what it says. It is the point at which one places the needs, interests, wants, security, comfort and feelings of others
ahead of their own. When the people in an organization truly love one another, they look out for one another, they protect one another, and keep each other safe. With love, there is no wasted effort or emotion because every single person in the place wants and works for the same exact things – because they understand that when those goals are achieved, the lives of everyone in the organization improve. No one engages in self-centered behavior; no one pulls the rope the wrong way or doesn’t pull it at all, because these are not acts of love.  

When every person in an organization truly loves every other person in that organization, there is almost nothing that organization cannot achieve. That’s because there is almost nothing each person in that organization would not do for every other person in the place. 

Doubt it? Find anyone who’s ever achieved the extraordinary, defied the odds, or performed what was once thought impossible. Look more deeply at what made it happen, kept it together, or held it aloft. I’ll bet you it feels more than a little bit like love. 

That’s because nothing meaningful in the history of mankind was ever accomplished without love. 

What we do here won’t be the first. 

So love the one you’re looking at. 

And win. 

To purchase a copy of Phillip’s new book, please visit HERE.

To learn more about the author, please click HERE.

Categories
General Leadership

Lead by Example

Lead by example. Phillip Kane's andwin.net blog
Photo 74575302 / Don Shula © Jerry Coli | Dreamstime.com

Friday, December 2, 2022

This week, while visiting the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as part of a team‐building exercise with some of the leaders of our company, I noticed a quote projected on a wall from the legendary coach of the Miami Dolphins, Don Shula. Shula, who coached from 1963 to 1995 (most of those years with the Dolphins) holds the distinction of being the only coach to have ever led a team to an undefeated season – going 14‐0, then winning the 1973 Super Bowl. Shula, who died just two years ago, was a hero to many of my generation, including me, not only for what he did in football, but for the way he lived his life and led other human beings. So, as I saw his words projected on the smooth, concrete wall, though I’d seen it before, I found myself reading it over, and over again:

“I don’t know any other way to lead but by example.”

What Don Shula understood intrinsically is that people follow the example of their leaders. They don’t do what they say … they do what they do. They watch them carefully. Imitating them. Wanting to be like them. Believing that if they do the things their leaders do, they can be like them someday. And because of this Don Shula understood something else – something far more important even. He understood that the sort of example he set was a choice. He knew that the only person who determines whether a leader creates a positive example or something other than that is the leader themself and no one else.

And that’s the point for the week.



See, what Don Shula knew, maybe better than any other coach of his generation, is that life is a choice. Every day of our life is a beautiful, wonderful choice between happiness and sadness, between giving our all or giving in, between bringing our whole heart or bringing something less, between doing the right thing or the wrong one, between helping a neighbor or walking right on by, … or between setting the right example or the wrong one. And this goes for all of us. Each of us is faced with a hundred chances each day to decide what sort of example we’ll set. Each one of us is a leader of something – even if it’s just our own future self. Each of us has an opportunity to choose.

And when more and more of us, then, ultimately, all of us, choose to lead, to set an example for good more often, the lives of everyone around us will improve – here at Turbo, in our homes, and in our communities. It can’t work any other way. It won’t work any other way. For every person here to achieve whatever the “more” is that they seek in their lives, every single person who works here must believe in, exhibit, and be willing to fight for a kinder, more positive example of leadership. And when we do, almost nothing will be able to stop us; because exactly none of our energy will be wasted on negativity, dissent, half‐heartedness, or indifference.

See, what Don Shula proved, beyond any doubt, is that winning, that having more of whatever matters to the people on a team, requires that no room be left anywhere for anyone except those who choose a better way. And because every single person in that organization, beginning with him, chose something better, they never lost a game.

That’s what’s available to us … if we choose a better way … if we choose to set a better example for those around us to follow.

So be like Coach Shula. Lead by example.

And Win.